Friday, May 15, 2009

The Hauser family of Minnesota wants to let their son refuse chemotherapy. Their 13 year old son.

With chemotherapy, Daniel Hauser has a 90 percent chance of surviving his Hodgkin's lymphoma, according to his cancer doctor. And without it?

"It is almost certain that he will die," said Dr. Bruce Bostrom, a pediatric oncologist at Children's Hospital and Clinics of Minnesota.

So what's their reasoning?

Colleen and Anthony Hauser are supporting what they say is their son's decision to instead treat the disease with nutritional supplements and other alternative treatments favored by the Nemenhah Band. The Missouri-based religious group believes in natural healing methods advocated by some American Indians.

So this is their religious beliefs? Not exactly.

The Hausers, who are Roman Catholic, have eight children. Colleen Hauser told the New Ulm Journal newspaper that the family's Catholicism and adherence to the Nemenhah Band are not in conflict, and said she has treated illness with natural remedies her entire life.

So why exactly are they so eager to endanger their son's life?

"My son is not in any medical danger at this point," Colleen Hauser testified.

She then went on to say, "You know, unless you count the Hodgkin's Lymphoma."

Colleen Hauser testified her son became sick and depressed after the first treatment, and said the family only would consent to traditional treatments in the case of a life-threatening illness.

So what are you waiting for? Ebola?

All right, so let's hear about this group, the Nemanahs. This is some sort of Native American group, with centuries of accumulated wisdom and knowledge of natural healing techniques, right?

Nemenhah was founded in the 1990s by Philip Cloudpiler Landis, who said Thursday that he was one-fourth American Indian.

Ouch! This doesn't feel like a scam to you?

Nemenhah adherents are asked to pay $250 to be members.

Oh, come on!

Who is this Landis fellow?

Landis said he founded the faith after facing his diagnosis of a cancer similar to Daniel Hauser. He said he treated it with diet choices, visits to a sweat lodge and other natural remedies.

And?

Wait for it. . . . .

Landis also once served four months in prison in Idaho for fraud related to advocating natural remedies.

OH! there it is! Shoulda seen that coming!

"The issue is Danny's right to decide how he wants to live his life," Landis said. "What if they make him take chemotherapy and he dies from that?

Good point, except NO ONE DIES FROM CHEMO!

If only this group could get a little crazier. . . . .

Colleen Hauser testified that Daniel was a medicine man and elder in the Nemenhah Band.

Seriously, Colleen, a pseudo-religious group that makes a dying 13-year old boy a medicine man and an elder, that might not be the folks you want to be getting a lot of guidance from. I'm just saying. You know what the word "elder" means, don't you? Because apparently, they don't.

The mother said her son made the decision himself to refuse chemotherapy: "I think he understands he has the right to choose healthier forms of dealing with this cancer."

Right, like dying!

This is Minnesota, right? At least now I understand who's voting for Michelle Bachmann.

UPDATE:

Judge rules family can't refuse chemo for boy

MINNEAPOLIS – A Minnesota judge ruled Friday that a 13-year-old cancer patient must be evaluated by a doctor to determine if the boy would benefit from restarting chemotherapy over his parents' objections.

In a 58-page ruling, Brown County District Judge John Rodenberg found that Daniel Hauser has been "medically neglected" by his parents, Colleen and Anthony Hauser, and was in need of child protection services.